Abstract
The addition of synthetic (E)-anethol to the known attractant phenylacetaldehyde synergized attraction of the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera, the blend invariably catching 4 to 6 times more than phenylacetaldehyde on its own. Highest catches were recorded by the 1:1-3:1 blends. The addition of salicyl aldehyde, ±linalool, (R)-(+)-limonene, 2-methoxybenzyl alcohol and 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol (compounds described earlier in the literature as co-attractants for H. armigera), increased catches when added to phenylacetaldehyde. However, the addition of these compounds did not increase catches of the (E)-anethol+pheny- lacetaldehyde blend. When directly compared with performance of the synthetic pheromone, the (E)-anethol +phenylacetaldehyde blend caught an average of 27% of the catch in pheromone baited traps. On an average 79% of moths caught in traps with the (E)-anethol+phenylacetaldehyde blend were females, while traps with pheromone caught only males. The (E)-anethol+phenylacetaldehyde blend described in this study may form the basis for the development of an efficient bisexual lure for H. armigera AFTER further optimization.
Highlights
The cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera Hübner, Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an important polyphagous pest of vegetables and field crops in the Old World (Europe, Asia and Africa) where it is generally controlled by insecticide sprays, but it appeared in Australia and even in South America (Kriticos et al, 2015)
By tendency highest mean catches were recorded in the traps baited with combinations containing ANET (both ternary and quaternary mixtures, all blends being significantly different from PHENAL in Exp. 1A (Fig. 1A), while in Exp. 1B only the quaternary blend caught significantly more than PHENAL (Fig. 1B)
We showed out that the addition of ANET to PHENAL resulted in increased catches of H. armigera: traps with the binary lure invariably catching 4–6 times more than catches with PHENAL only
Summary
The cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera Hübner, Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an important polyphagous pest of vegetables and field crops in the Old World (Europe, Asia and Africa) where it is generally controlled by insecticide sprays, but it appeared in Australia and even in South America (Kriticos et al, 2015). Tóth et al.: One decade’s research efforts in Hungary to develop a bisexual lure for the cotton bollworm female flight pattern, more accurate estimates can be given on the timing of oviposition, and result in more precise pest control decisions (Wall 1989; Witzgall et al 2010). Phenylacetaldehyde (PHENAL) has been described as generally attractive to Lepidoptera (Cantelo and Jacobson, 1979; Creighton et al, 1973; Meagher, 2001), to noctuid and pyralid species. Catches of both sexes of H. armigera in traps baited with PHENAL lures have been reported previously (Pawar et al, 1983; Tóth et al, 2010). General experience showed that captures in traps baited with PHENAL only are too low to allow for practical applications (Tóth et al, unpublished)
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